Tuesday Q&As

13.9.22

Health and safety issues

Q. Need a bit of help here. I work in a kitchen in a pub the gm here is very dodgy he has kept the kitchen open even though we now have no access to hot water and the dish washer is broken. We had a safety check on a new gas safety panel that was installed and was told we couldn't open the kitchen. As its unsafe but he has had the kitchen open even though he was told this. We then had a engineer come out to and do a gass safety check and he refused to close the kitchen for the check. I'm not sure we have a valid safety certificate and we have the kitchen open honestly I'm scared.

A. Clearly there are serious health and safety issues here. I suggest you raise a formal grievance in respect of your health and safety concerns, asking for sight of the gas safety certificate. If it is not forthcoming you may be within your rights to refuse to attend work until such time it is safe to do so. If you suffer a detriment as a consequence of raising your concerns you are protected and can claim detrimental treatment and/or unfair dismissal at the employment tribunal. Providing you have a genuine belief that it is unsafe to work, that is enough, even if it later transpires that it is safe to work.

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I am answering questions on:

• Instructions to take holiday

• Reference refusal

• Dismissal - Fair or not?

• Grievance during a disciplinary

• Attendance at a disciplinary whilst on the sick

• Zero hours contract and dismissal

• Dismissal on long term sick

• Unfair redundancy dismissal

• Minimum holiday entitlement